Generally, metal chicken manure panels, set under chicken screening where chickens sit, are used to collect manure. Although these metal panels are frequently cleaned, the poultry manure is very corrosive, causing failure to the metal panels within a few years. The metal panels are very unpleasant and expensive to replace.
It has been suggested to replace metal panels with fiberglass reinvorced resin panels which are more corrosion resistant. However, such panels are too flexible in the ten-foot length sections required in the chicken houses or, if made rigid enough through the use of increased thickness fiberglass, are too expensive and heavy to be competitive.
Technology for forming resin and fiberglass panels is well known as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,198,686 issued to Eugene Caligari, Jr., on Aug. 3, 1965; U.S. Pat. No. 3,197,352 issued to James M. Coates on July 27, 1965, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,109,763 issued to Finger on Nov. 5, 1963.
It has also been suggested to sandwich rigid fillers between fiberglass reinforced panels for strength and lightness. For example, see U.S. patents to Fossier et al U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,450,593, issued June 17, 1969, to Coates 3,197,352 issued July 27, 1965, and to Adams 3,867,244 issued Feb. 18, 1975.